Florida Nurses: Substandard Care Will Jeopardize Your License

If you are a licensed nurse in the state of Florida, an accusation of providing substandard care can lead to more than lawsuits and an increase in your insurance premiums: You can lose your license or have your license application denied, and with it your ability to earn a living. You can also face up to $10,000 in administrative fines for each offense, and these fines may not be covered by your liability insurance.

If you are a Florida-licensed nurse and have received an administrative complaint from the Department of Health (DOH), you are probably concerned about how this may affect your license. To set up a FREE no-obligation consultation with attorney Jeff Howell or attorney Rickey Strong, contact the law firm of Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law at 850-877-7776. We represent licensed nurses statewide, including out-of-state clients who are concerned about the status of their Florida license.

According to Sections 456.072(1)(o), (gg) and 464.018(1)(n), (p), (q), Florida Statutes the Florida Board of Nursing may discipline your license if you are found to have “fail[ed] to meet minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing nursing practice.” The statutes’ subsections list numerous examples of such failures, from presigning blank prescription forms to prescribing drugs imprudently or beyond the scope of your license.

Understandably, the prescribed administrative penalties for substandrd care are among the harshest in the Florida Administrative Code. According to Rule 64B9-8.006(3)(k) of the Code, the penalty for even a single violation is a fine in the amount of $250 to $10,000 for each violation, and probation or revocation of your license. Your disciplinary history is a matter of public record, and will be viewable by patients and prospective employers.

However, these penalties are not set in stone. The Board of Nursing can take into account any number of aggravating or mitigating factors to increase or lesson the penalties set down in the rules. When you have an experienced health care attorney fighting for you, you stand a much better chance of receiving the lowest possible penalty, and even of getting the complaint against you dismissed.

Contact the law firm of Howell, Buchan & Strong, Attorneys at Law at 850-877-7776 to set up your FREE no-obligation consultation with attorney Jeff Howell or attorney Rickey Strong today. DOH has experienced attorneys on its side. So should you!